In an entry at Your Black World, Dr. Boyce Watkins commends Eddie Long's accusers for speaking out, even if it means they are defying their attorneys and being ridiculed by the public. He says that they should speak boldly and loudly for other abuse victims.

I can’t help but to be mesmerized by the fact that the accusers of Bishop Eddie Long continue to speak to the media, in spite of the consequences for doing so. They’ve been ridiculed and attacked by Eddie Long supporters, dealt with the stigma of being involved in a homosexual relationship, been publicly chastised by their attorney and lost hundreds of thousands (some say millions) of dollars by telling their secrets to the world.

Their bold decision to speak rips a gaping hole in the widely-accepted notion that having enough money can forgive even the worst of sins. Unfortunately, in too many situations (i.e. R. Kelly and all those little girls in Chicago), greasing a few pockets can keep the dirtiest, most despicable behavior from seeing the light of day. What is most interesting is that the rule even applies in many houses of God. R. Kelly himself attempted to ask black people to believe that he’d somehow found the Lord since being caught on tape having sex with an underage girl. Funny how people always find God after doing things that might get them arrested.

Eddie Long proved himself nothing less than a bold-faced liar by demanding confidentiality in his settlement with the boys. After promising at the start of the scandal that the truth would eventually come out, Long ran from the truth like a smelly dog avoiding the bath tub. Few in his inner circle have demanded the accountability that Long himself promised, and this is a significant disservice to millions of other child abuse victims who’ve not received adequate justice for what happened to them.